Abstract: Objective To explore the application potential of pulse wave velocity (PWV) measurement in evaluating renal dysfunction in patients with hypertensive nephropathy (HN). 
Methods Clinical data of 60 patients with chronic HN, 60 patients with hypertension but without kidney damage, and 30 healthy control subjects who underwent physical examinations were selected. The demographic characteristics and laboratory indicators, including blood pressure, fast plasma glucose (FPG), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and other parameters, were collected. UFI ultrasound technology was used to determine carotid PWV ［beginning of systole PWV (BS-PWV) and end of systole PWV (ES-PWV)］, and the differences between different groups were compared. 
Results The SBP, DBP, FPG, TG, TC, and LDL-C of the hypertension group and hypertensive kidney injury group were higher than those of the healthy control group, while HDL-C was lower than that of the healthy control group (P＜0.05). There was no significant difference in SBP, DBP, FPG, TG, TC, LDL-C, and HDL-C between the hypertension group and hypertensive kidney injury group (P＞0.05). There was no significant difference in renal filtration rate between the healthy control group and the hypertension group (P＜0.05), while the renal filtration rate in the hypertensive kidney injury group was higher than that in the healthy control group and the hypertension group (P＜0.05). The BS-PWV and ES-PWV were higher in the hypertension group and hypertensive kidney injury group than in the healthy control group, and higher in the hypertensive kidney injury group than in the hypertension group (P＜0.05). The Pearson correlation analysis results showed that as the glomerular filtration rate decreased, BS-PWV and ES-PWV gradually increased (P＜0.001). 
Conclusion PWV serves as a non-invasive diagnostic indicator, demonstrating a strong association with glomerular filtration rate. Its clinical implications in monitoring and predicting renal damage in hypertensive individuals, particularly in the prevention of HN, are found to be substantial. 

Key words: renal dysfunction, hypertension, carotid pulse wave, glomerular filtration rate